I have written short stories for more years than I care to say…
For a long time the 3000 word limit was my comfort zone, and while I probably avoided writing a novel for far too long, the discipline of writing short fiction gave me the opportunity to develop the skills required for self-editing, especially ‘killing my darlings’ and making every word count.
I know that my debut novel Turn of the Tide is the better for those ‘apprenticeship years’ and, importantly, the encouragement that I received through winning and being placed or listed in short story competitions along the way kept me going through the process of writing and revising until I was sure that the novel was as good as I could make it.
At the moment I’m considering publishing a collection of short stories, including previously published prize-winning stories, and have included Working Away here as a taster.